The field of the invention is patient monitoring systems. More particularly, the invention relates to a method and apparatus for regulating a blood pressure determination from the patient end of a patient monitoring system.
The heart muscles of humans periodically contract to force blood through the arteries. As a result of this pumping action, pressure signals exist in these arteries and cause them to cyclically change volume. The baseline pressure for these signals is known as the diastolic pressure and the peak pressure for these signals is known as the systolic pressure. A further pressure value, known as the “mean arterial pressure” (MAP), represents a time-weighted average of the blood pressure. The systolic, MAP and diastolic values for a patient are useful in monitoring the cardiovascular state of the patient, in diagnosis of a wide variety of pathological conditions, and in treating disease. Therefore, it is a great advantage to a clinician to have an automatic blood pressure monitor which can accurately, quickly, and non-invasively estimate these blood pressure values.
In many instances, a clinician will use a long tube or hose connected to an automatic blood pressure monitor when measuring a patient's blood pressure. This is often necessary when the monitor is wall mounted or there is no room to locate the device next to the patient. In these types of situations, the clinician must apply the cuff to the patient and then move some distance away from the patient to activate the blood pressure determination process. This can be time consuming and inefficient since it is typically advantageous to remain near a patient to check other vital signs or offer more personal care for the patient. Thus, there exists a need for a method and apparatus for controlling a blood pressure determination from the patient end of the tube or hose, thereby allowing the clinician to remain next to the patient during the automated determination.